TUCSON, Ariz. – After a successful four-match homestand, the Arizona volleyball team will hit the road for the final time in conference play as it heads to Los Angeles to face No. 8 USC and UCLA this weekend.

The Wildcats swept both Utah and Colorado this past weekend to move to two matches about .500 in Pac-12 play. Arizona moved up five spots in the NCAA RPI rankings to No. 20, putting them in excellent position for the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, Madi Kingdon continues to be one of the top all-around players in the league. She currently leads the league in points (5.23 p/s), while ranking third in kills (4.43 p/s) and fourth in service aces (0.35 p/s).

Freshman setter Penina Snuka’s 14 double-doubles leads the Pac-12 and is the second most nationally among freshmen. She also ranks sixth in the conference in assists (10.11 p/s).

Junior outside hitter Jane Croson has come on as of late as she recorded back to back double-doubles over the weekend. She recorded 10 kills and 12 digs in the victory over Utah on Thursday before tallying 10 kills and 10 digs in the sweep of Colorado on Sunday.

The Wildcats have been one of the best defensive teams in the Pac-12 as their 17.00 digs per set and their .160 opponent hitting percentage leads the league. Arizona already has 34 combined double-doubles on the year, the most of any team in the Pac-12.

The Opponents

USC heads into the weekend with two straight losses, its first stretch of back to back losses this season. The Trojans dropped a 3-1 decision at No. 3 Washington before falling two days later in five sets at Washington State.

For the first time in 20 years, the Arizona volleyball team knocked off the No. 1 team in the country. The Wildcats played their most compete match of the season as they pulled the upset of top-ranked USC in sweeping fashion, 3-0 (27-25, 25-21, 25-21), back on Oct. 20 inside McKale Center.

Arizona last defeated a No. 1 team on Nov. 3, 1993 when it knocked off then unbeaten UCLA inside McKale Center. The sweep of USC was also the first time the Wildcats have ever swept a No. 1 team. The Wildcats turned in their best offensive effort in conference play as they hit .324 for the match, their highest percentage in Pac-12 play and their highest since hitting .352 in a sweep of Loyola Maryland back on Sept. 20.

UCLA is coming off a tough five-set victory at Washington State on Friday, which snapped a two match losing streak. The Bruins have been a solid offensive team as they rank in the top half of the Pac-12 in just about every offensive category; however, their defense has been an issue pretty much all season as they rank at or near the bottom of the Pac-12 in just about every defensive category.

In three sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-20), the University of Arizona volleyball team defeated UCLA on Oct. 18 inside McKale Center. Kingdon led the Wildcat offense with 13 kills followed by Croson with 10. Kingdon hit a solid .324 on the night as she also added nine digs, two aces, two blocks and an assist. Croson also contributed eight digs to go along with her 10 kills.

For continued coverage of Arizona Wildcat volleyball, visit ArizonaWildcats.com and be sure to follow the team on Twitter @ArizonaVBall.